Sports
IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant emerges as the brightest star in left-handed batters’ dominated run-fest
New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Spotting the brightest star during a full moon night can sometimes become a tough ask. When the full moon is incredibly bright and illuminates the night sky on its own, it means just the brightest stars, planets, and constellations are visible to the naked eye.
On a Wednesday night, with a full moon illuminating the sky, the Arun Jaitley Stadium witnessed a topsy-turvy game between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans, where total runs scored by both teams exceeded 400. In the exhilarating run-fest, left-handed batters from both teams overwhelmingly took the center stage, but it was Rishabh Pant, the Delhi Capitals skipper, who emerged as the brightest star.
Sure, Axar Patel expertly negated the threat possessed by Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad by taking 46 runs off their combined 25 deliveries to make his number three promotion count with a 43-ball 66 and be the aggressor in his 113-run stand with Pant.
Add to that, B Sai Sudharsan’s steady 39-ball 65 and David Miller’s quick 23-ball 55 kept GT in the hunt of chasing 225, of which they fell short by four runs. But none came close to being as enthralling, illuminating, and fulfilling as Pant’s blitzkrieg of 88 not out off just 43 balls.
There were doubts over Pant unleashing his best self as a finisher after a scratchy 44 in a high-pressure chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad in his homecoming on April 20. But Pant, amongst the wicketkeeper-batter contenders for the T20 World Cup squad, was at his magnificent best in applying finishing against GT, hitting eight sixes and five fours at a strike-rate of 204.6.
Hours before the game began on Wednesday evening, the area outside the stadium was abuzz with frenetic activity. Fans were flocking to buy and don ‘Rishabh 17’ jerseys, creating a palpable sense of anticipation from the local lad. To their absolute joy, Pant produced shots – orthodox and unorthodox – showing glimpses of his vintage self, which made him an absolute darling of fans.
When Pant walked in to bat, DC were in dire straits at 44/3, with Sandeep Warrier picking up all three wickets in power-play. Pant had to initially bide his time by keeping the scoreboard ticking with Axar, who was adept at picking boundaries whenever GT erred in line and length.
“When I was there in the first timeout, we discussed about what can be the ideal score here. We then came down to 180 and focused on getting it and then take it from there. Rishabh was confident about getting 180 for the time being and said if we can achieve that, we can get more,” said DC assistant coach Pravin Amre in the post-match press conference.
He opened up by getting in line of the short ball down leg from Noor and slog-sweep over fine leg for four. When Rashid bowled him short, Pant went quickly on backfoot to pull him through square leg for four and once Noor pitched it too full, he was quick to get low and slog-sweep again, this time for six.
“‘Let’s keep going, let’s get eight or nine every over’. We knew if we targeted their main spinners, because that’s how Gujarat play – their two spinners (Rashid and Noor) handle the game very well in the middle overs. That’s what we talked about, that if we get something, we would take it on, (otherwise) we will keep rotating the strike,” Pant would say after the game ended.
Mohit Sharma, GT’s death overs specialist, came on at the start of the 12th, with slower balls and cutters in his armoury. But the length was of Pant’s liking – short and wide enough to pull and cut for boundaries. It was just the start Pant needed to showcase his power-hitting and panache.
The 16th over saw Pant welcoming Mohit with a powerful whip over deep mid-wicket for six and then whacked with all his might a full, slower ball over long off. Pant reached his fifty in 34 balls, with a slog off Mohit over long-on for six, which generated resounding applause from the DC blue wearing crowd.
After Tristan Stubbs‘ onslaught off Sai Kishore in the 19th over fetched DC 22 runs, it was the perfect platform for Pant to finish the innings on a high against a one-dimensional Mohit. A powerful swing went through Shahrukh Khan’s hands at long-on for six, followed by him losing his balance while trying to slice a wide yorker, which generated enough power in typical Pant style to fetch a four.
Rattled by this, Mohit angled a bouncer into Pant, who shuffled across and hooked to get a six. On the next ball, Pant dispatched a low full toss high over long-on for a maximum. With calls of ‘we want sixer’ coming from the crowd, Pant swiped another full toss over the boundary rope as 31 runs came off the last over.
“He started his preparation from the two weeks pre-season camp in Vizag and prepared himself very well because before that, he had been at the NCA. I remember his first day when he came at the Vizag camp, he went straight to ground from the airport. He was hungry, he made sure that he was going to utilise every day.”
“You can see all his hard work is paying off. A couple of good knocks gave him the confidence, and today’s (knock against GT) was special. He single-handedly got 31 runs against an experienced bowler like Mohit Sharma in the 20th over and that really shows that he is in good form,” added Amre.
Pant smashing 62 runs off Mohit on facing 18 balls off him, including hitting seven sixes at a whopping strike-rate of 344.44 are both the most runs & sixes for a batter against a bowler in an IPL match. Since his return to competitive cricket following the life-threatening car crash, Pant’s performance with both bat and gloves has been closely monitored. Wednesday’s knock of 88 not out was the strongest evidence of him returning to his best form.
“Definitely, loved it. I am someone who can’t praise myself. But being on the field actually really matters to me a lot, especially after the kind of injury I had. The conversation I had about myself was that when I am on the field, I should be looking better, moving better, and thinking better.”
“Because something which keeps me awake in the night is, I don’t want to be at the same place. This is a quote that I have actually read about and I feel the same about it each and every day. That’s why when I step on the field, I just feel to give my 200% each and every game,” added Pant.
Pant’s electrifying performance in the late stages of the match, filled with powerful and rollicking shots, keeps DC in the hut for a playoffs spot. In the larger context, it may well secure his spot on the flight to play for India in the Men’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA in June. But April 24, 2024 will forever be remembered as the night when Pant became the most radiant star on a moonlit evening.
–IANS
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Bengaluru, Aug 22 (IANS) Shivamogga Lions’ woes continued as they suffered a 28-run defeat to the Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Mysore Warriors delivered a well-rounded performance, anchored by Karun Nair’s (45) swift knock, supported by a few other good contributions in the middle order, and highlighted by late-innings fireworks from J Suchith (22*) and Manoj Bhandage (23).
On the bowling front, Vidyadhar Patil (3/29) and Karthik CA (3/31) played crucial roles in restricting the Shivamogga Lions. Sharath HS’ (4/29) lethal spell with the ball and valiant efforts from Abhinav Manohar (46) and Nihal Ullal (46) with the bat couldn’t turn the tide in Shivamogga’s favour.
Chasing 180, Shivamogga Lions got off to a disastrous start, with Vidyadhar Patil’s lethal first over leading to the dismissals of Mohith Bangalore (2) and Dheeraj Mohan (0) in consecutive deliveries. Skipper Nihal Ullal (46) managed to crack a few early boundaries, but Hardik Raj (17) was also removed by Krishnappa Gowtham, leaving the Lions reeling at 41/3 by the end of the powerplay.
K Gowtham then engineered the run out of Rohan Naveen (11), further denting the chase. The in-form Abhinav Manohar (Impact Player) joined Ullal, and the duo breathed life into the innings, putting together a 70-run partnership in just 43 balls.
However, Ullal fell short of his first half-century of the season, leaving the Shivamogga Lions at 123/5 in 15.1 overs. Manohar also narrowly missed his milestone, holing out to K Gowtham off Karthik CA. Manohar’s 26-ball knock included four sixes and three fours, adding valuable runs to the total.
Karthik CA struck again two deliveries later, dismissing Shivraj S and leaving the Lions in deep trouble. With 47 runs needed from the final 18 balls, Ashok D tried to keep the chase alive by smashing a six and a four off Vidyadhar Patil, but perished in the same over, effectively ending Shivamogga’s prospects. Shivamogga Lions finished at 151/9 in 20 overs, enduring their sixth consecutive loss.
Batting first, Mysore Warriors faced an early challenge as Sharath HS unleashed a menacing spell. He struck in the powerplay, dismissing Karthik SU (8), and then returned in the seventh over to remove CA Karthik (30), who smashed three sixes in a 34-run stand with Karun Nair (45) and Harshil Dharmani (0).
Nair continued in fine touch and peppered the boundary with six fours and two sixes during his 23-ball stay before falling to Ashok D in the 11th over.
Kishan Bedare (17) steered the innings, forming a 28-run partnership with Nair and adding another 29 runs with Sumit Kumar (28) before being caught and bowled by Bharath Dhuri, leaving the Warriors at 116/5 in 16.1 overs. The depth of Mysore’s batting lineup came to the fore as Manoj Bhandage and J Suchith launched a late assault.
Vasuki Koushik, tasked with the 18th over, began with a six and a four from Sumit Kumar. Bhandage then took charge, hammering three consecutive sixes off Koushik in the same over before falling as Sharath’s fourth wicket in the 19th ending a blistering 23-run cameo off just seven balls. J Suchith, carried on the momentum, smashing two sixes and a four in an 8-ball flurry, pushing the Mysore Warriors to a competitive 179/7 in their 20 overs.
Brief scores: Mysore Warriors 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Karthik CA 30, Karun Nair 45, Sumit Kumar 28; Sharath HS 4-29) beat Shivamogga Lions 151/9 in 20 overs (Nihal Ullal 46, Abhinav Manohar 46 runs; Vidyadhar Patil 3-29, Karthik CA 3-31) by 28 runs.
–IANS
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Castle Rock (Colorado), Aug 22 (IANS) Indian Americans Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia who failed to make it to the Top-10 last week at the St Jude Championships, the first of the three Play-offs events, will be looking for a better showing as they move towards the finale at the Tour Championships after that.
Last week Hideki Matsuyama, after leading by five at one time, had to birdie the last two holes to win the St Jude Championships. He became the first Asian to win a Play-off event and it was his 10th PGA Tour win, the highest from the continent.
Last week Bhatia was T-12, Rai was T-16 and Theegala was way behind in T-46, but all three have entered the second of the three Play-offs events.
World No, 2 Xander Schauffele, a two-time Major winner in 2024, was tied second last week with Viktor Hovland, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was fourth last week, though World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had a poor week in T-68 place.
Among Asians Korea’s Si Woo Kim has all to play for at the BMW Championship, the second of three FedExCup Playoffs events, in Colorado this week, with two big goals providing the drive for him to step up his game.
The four-time PGA TOUR winner tees up at Castle Pines Golf Club with the intention of breaking into the top-30 of the FedExCup points list and qualify for the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship next week. Kim is presently ranked 44th after last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A strong week is also required for Kim to keep alive his hopes of earning a spot in the International Team to face the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal next month. Currently 14th on the team roster, the top-6 after this week’s BMW Championship will secure automatic spots, with captain Mike Weir naming six more picks after the TOUR Championship.
Compatriots Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An, who are 10th and 15th respectively on the FedExCup rankings, are virtually assured of teeing up at the TOUR Championship, which will use a staggered-scoring format based on positions after this week.
Irrespective of how his week plays out, Kim is pleased to secure his top-50 status, which guarantees starts in all eight Signature tournaments next season.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The packed schedule of men’s county cricket in 2025 will remain largely unchanged, despite concerns raised by the majority of players over the impact on their physical well-being.
According to a survey conducted by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) earlier this season, more than 80 per cent of players expressed fears that the current schedule is too demanding and poses risks to their health.
However, despite these concerns, the 2025 schedule is set to continue as usual. Each county will still compete in a minimum of 14 County Championship matches, eight Metro Bank Cup fixtures, and 14 Vitality T20 Blast games. The changes for next season will be largely cosmetic, offering little relief for players concerned about the gruelling calendar.
The PCA has been advocating for adjustments that would spread out the T20 fixtures across the week, aiming to reduce tight turnarounds and introduce more consistent three-day breaks between Championship games.
“There’s definitely room for improvement in 2025 compared to 2024,” said Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s interim chief executive, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “The schedule can definitely be managed better. Certainly, the Blast was very much looked at through a commercial lens, trying to squeeze as many games as possible into Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Utilizing the majority of the week is probably the way forward, trying to spread them out to give that time for recovery, travel, and preparation.”
The T20 Blast, in particular, has been the main point of debate when it comes to scheduling. The timing of the knockout stages has been a significant concern. In 2023, these stages were held immediately after the group matches in July, allowing counties to retain their overseas players. This year, however, the knockout stages will be pushed to September, giving clubs an extended six-week window to market and sell tickets for home quarter-finals.
While these adjustments offer slight improvements, the overall schedule remains packed, leaving many players apprehensive about how much more they can push themselves physically in the long term. Despite the calls for change, it appears that any significant reduction in the number of fixtures is unlikely in the future, with commercial considerations still driving much of the decision-making process around county cricket.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) After ending his T20I career with an elusive T20 World Cup title in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma revealed that it was his dream to transform the team without thinking too much about the results.
Rohit-led Indian team ended the decade-long ICC title drought after beating South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 to lift their second title in the format. In 2023, the Men in Blue failed to win the World Test Championship and 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit’s leadership after losing to Australia in the finals.
The swashbuckling opening batter also credited the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, former head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for their support in transforming the team and creating a fearless culture in the squad.
“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about stats and results and also to make sure that we create an environment where people can go out and play freely, without thinking too much. I got a lot of help from my three pillars Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid and chairman of selector Ajit Agarkar. That was critical for me to do what I did. Obviously, not to forget players who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we have achieved today,” Rohit said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
On Wednesday, Rohit was awarded ‘Men’s International Cricketer of the Year’ while Dravid was accorded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2023-24 in Mumbai. India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli was named the ‘Men’s ODI Batter of the Year’ while on the bowling front, Mohammed Shami was awarded the ‘ODI Bowler of the Year’.
The 37-year-old batter finished as the second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup with 257 runs including three half-centuries and at a strike rate of 156.70. He played a major role in providing solid starts for the team on the slow pitches of the USA and the West Indies.
After lifting the title, Rohit joined Kohli to announce his retirement from the T20I. With 4,231 runs, Rohit is the leading run-getter in the format behind his teammate Kohli (4188 runs). Both batters will continue to play the other formats of the game. The duo last featured for India in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
–IANS
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Gotemba (Japan), Aug 22 (IANS) A year after being the youngest ever to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Kartik Singh, now 14 years of age, is the highest ranked among the four Indians set to take part in the 15th AAC to be held in Japan.
As of date Kartik is the highest ranked Indian at 199 while the other three players to have received the invitation for this prestigious event are Krishnav Nikhil Chopra and Vedant Sirohi, both past participants in the event and Rakshit Dahiya will be in the four-player team.
Kartik Singh has also been named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup team. A regular winner in junior and amateur events, Kartik will spearhead the Indian challenge.
Apart from India’s Kartik Singh, there are seven others named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup International Team. They are Joshua Bai, Warut Boonrod, Xihuan Chang, Rayhan Latief, Khanh Hung Le, Thangwin Lee, Anh Minh Ngyuyen,
As many as 113 players have been confirmed for the Championship, which will be held October 3-6, 2024, at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan. A full list of confirmed players can be found. The field will be 120 with a few more names to be added by the Organisers.
India’s best ever placing has been second place by Rayhan Thomas, who was runner-up in Sentosa, Singapore in 2018. The Dubai-based Indian Rayhan has since turned professional, and last week won his first pro title on India’s Professional Tour of India Tour.
Krishnav, who plays college golf in the US, is the son of former India cricketer turned commentator, Nikhil Chopraa, who often takes the role of a caddie for his son.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
The confirmed list which has players from 38 APGC member organizations is highlighted by defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Wenyi Ding (No. 4), Xihuan Chang (No. 36), Xiangyun Bai (No. 61) and Paul Chang (No. 97).
Ding finished runner-up to Stubbs in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur while Xihuan Chang reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July.
Other top-100 participants include Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No. 68) and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano (No. 78).
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 14-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, Smith, Cameron Davis, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Min Woo Lee, Keita Nakajima and C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
As the host nation, Japan will lead the list of up to 43 APGC member nations represented with 10 players in this year’s field. A player from Japan has won four of the 14 editions of the Championship (Matsuyama/2010, 2011; Takumi Kanaya/2018; Nakajima/2021).
–IANS
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